What's for lunch: Sausage and Kale Soup

Still winter up here, but less noticeable since our snow has all melted and the winds have died down.  I'm still making soup nearly every day, though.  One of my favorite flexible recipes is Sausage and Kale Soup.  You can use bulk sausage (check the ingredients, and opt for preservative free) or make your own.  If you don't have either option on hand, you can saute and onion, add the ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, pork) with 2-4 tablespoons of your favorite spices (check the sausage recipe for ideas).  You don't have to use kale either- lots of greens will do.  I've successfully used chard and spinach, but you have to be careful not to overcook the spinach.  Other additions can be made, depending on what you have on hand and how much prep time you can spare.

Sausage Kale Soup

Ingredients
1/2 to 1 pound of sausage (see notes above for ideas)
1 bunch of kale, chopped (or chard or spinach)
1.5 quarts of homemade bone broth
1-3 cups cooked navy beans (optional)
2-4 carrots, scrubbed and chopped (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes (optional- reduce broth if using saucy tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste (this will vary widely on the type of sausage used

Process
Brown sausage in a 3 quart saucepan or larger. 
Add carrots (optional), and saute with sausage for 5 minutes. 
Add broth, beans (optional), tomatoes (optional), and bring to simmer. 
Let simmer 5-20 minutes or until carrots are cooked, if using. 
Add kale (or other greens), and cook until they are wilted but still bright green.  Serve immediately.


What additions would you make to this soup?

What's for lunch?

Today, we left the preschool parking lot while the snow continued to fall, after 6 hours of alternating magical fluffiness and driving blizzard.  I had no idea what we would have for dinner, so I went to my cold-weather fall back:  Pumpkin Soup.

This recipe started as a way to make a meal out of non-perishable pantry favorites:  canned pumpkin, canned coconut milk, boxed broth, and spices.  It is still a great option that way, but I was fortunate to come home to a crock pot full of nourishing bone broth, and a bit of homemade coconut milk (my latest kitchen experiment) in the fridge.  Given more time, I could have steamed the butternut and/or acorn squash on the counter.  However, there is little enough time between preschool pick-up and ideal napping time, so I felt quite rushed.





Squash Soup
2-4 cups cooked pumpkin, butternut, or acorn squash purree (1 to 2 cans)
2 cups coconut milk (full fat, homemade or 1 can)
1-2 cups chicken bone broth, to get the right texture
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put it all in a pot over medium heat.  Use an immersion blender to mix it all together.  It is really good if you have time to let it simmer for half an hour and thicken up, but I often serve it within 10 minutes.

Top with plain yogurt, cream, crackers, croutons, sausage crumbles, almonds, or anything else you think would taste good.  Serve to toddlers with a straw!

This was the perfect warming lunch after trying 5 times to make it up the driveway.  At least we don't have to shovel until the snow stops falling!

What's for lunch?

Lunch.  Even (on the rare occasions) when I'm on the ball planning meals and grocery shopping, lunch always seems to be left until the last minute, making use of whatever is to be found in the fridge and pantry.  I was thrilled when I saw that Catherine of Weelicious posted a daily picture and description of her family's school lunches on her facebook page:  Year 1, Year 2, and now Year 3.  As inspiring as that is, though, most of those ideas don't work with our grain free, starch free, soy free eating style.

If I have this problem, many others do, too, so I would like to share some ideas.  Just one for today, though, but it is incredibly versitile:

Yogurt Salad
 
Yogurt, plain & unsweetened (and/or homemade mayonnaise)  (enough to get the right texture)
Flavoring base:  mustard or mango chutney are my favorites (1/4 cup or so)
Protein:  cooked chicken (diced or shredded), canned salmon or tuna (1 to 2 cups)
Veg:  frozen peas, diced celery, diced red pepper  (~1 cup total)
Fruit:  apple, pear, grapes (~1/2 cup shredded or diced)
Dried fruit:  raisins, currants, diced dried apricots, etc  (up to 1/4 cup)
Nuts and seeds:  chopped walnuts or almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds  (up to 1/4 cup)
Cheese:  diced or shredded cheddar, jack, colby (2 oz)
Bit of salt and pepper

Mix it all together, and serve alone or with pita, crackers, lettuce, etc. 

I wish I had a gorgeous picture of this morning's salad to show you.  I can picture it now:  a scoop of salmon salad sitting on a thick, red tomato slice, on a bed of lettuce.  A nice side light from the window, a bit of food on the nearby fork to show the texture.  Instead, we ate our lunch from our plain white bowls with spoons, and this stuff just isn't pretty all on its own. 

This yogurt salad works great as a make-ahead lunch.  If we are traveling with a cooler, some version of this is in it.  I can make it at any time of the morning to have ready to go, and it is easy to make enough for multiple meals or large-ish groups.  I'd love to hear any options you might add, as well as your favorite lunch ideas.  Please share!